19. Back to Canaan - کنعان پر واپس جائیں۔

Grandma Ida wrote this Biblical story

   Teacher Arosa            told this  Biblical  story

Do you remember what happened last time? Jacob had made a long journey to Haran. Why did he flee? He fled because his brother Esau wanted to kill him.

Along the way, he had a wonderful dream. What did he see in that dream? And the best part of his journey  was that Jacob heard God’s voice. What did God say to him? "I am with you. I will watch over you everywhere you go!"
Do you also remember the name of the girl Jacob saw by the well—the one he fell in love with? (Rachel) But her father insisted that Jacob should also marry his other daughter. Her name was Leah, and because of this, she often felt sad.

Fourteen years had passed, during which Jacob had to work without wages to pay for his two wives. In that time, Leah bore children, and eventually, Rachel also gave birth to a son, whom she named Joseph. Jacob then wished to leave and return to Canaan with his wives.
Laban understood that his sheep-farming enterprise was prospering because God was blessing Jacob’s work. However, Jacob wanted to earn an income of his own to provide for his large family.
The situation in Laban’s household became very difficult. Laban and his sons grew jealous of Jacob. They were willing to let him stay, provided he continued to generate sufficient profit for Laban. They attempted to reach an agreement, but the atmosphere in the household had turned hostile.

One day, during the night, Jacob had a dream. It was God speaking to him: "Do you remember, Jacob, when you were in Bethel and saw the ladder with angels? You promised Me then that, if I took care of you, you would return to your father and mother in Canaan. You set up a stone and poured oil over it. Jacob, the time has now come to leave and go to the land that I have given to you—the land of your father and mother."

Then Jacob left secretly with Rachel, Leah, and the children. Laban was not at home at the time; he was away shearing sheep. They set off on camels, taking with them a large portion of Laban’s flock—livestock for which Jacob had worked honestly. Jakob is happy, but also nervous. Happy because he is going to see his father and mother again. Yet, Jacob also finds himself thinking about Esau—Esau, who had wanted to kill him. Could he still be that angry? Jacob is afraid, too. The children do not know that.

The children find going on a trip fun and exciting. But if it takes a long time, they also start asking, "When will we be in that other country?" The journey is slow, however, with all those children and the livestock. There are so many animals—you couldn’t even count them. Donkeys, goats, white sheep, black sheep, and lambs.